Posted by Abby Normal As you might expect from me, this is related to mine exploring. In central Nevada there are quite a few old uranium mines. I think it would be interesting to take a Geiger counter along to see the level of radiation inside of the mines. Abby
|
Or to find/gather ore which be cool.
There are many radioactive items out there; clocks and watch lettering, tritium signs, some vacuum tubes, uranium glass... most are harmless.
I have a fondness for anything radioactive that glows except high intensity sources...
As for sites heavily contaminated with man made/enriched radiation from any source, much more than a counter is needed to safely explore them.
Avoid them.Other possible high intensity gamma sources are medical devices, radioisotope thermoelectric generators (Russia), gamma ray food processing units, density measurement equipment, industrial inspection equipment and anything that has a radiation warning label with an active gamma source.
These can be very dangerous to tamper with. Some unshielded sources can cause fatal radiation sickness or burns in seconds/minutes of near exposure.Avoid the area where any equipment like this has been scrapped or vandalized.
You need to recognize this when you see it, it's rare but not unheard of.